Progressives love bicycles because they are outmoded and inefficient, just like windmills, and because they are the primary means of transportation in communist hellholes like Cuba. Consequently, their heavy-handed urban planning often inflicts bike lanes at the expense of normal traffic. As with all liberal coercion, the result has been unforeseen (but not unforeseeable) consequences that make the problems supposedly being solved even worse.

In London, home of a so-called “cycling revolution”:

While bikes have the luxury of zipping through traffic using dedicated lanes that are vastly underused most of the day … cars have been squeezed into narrowed spaces that slow traffic to a crawl. …

As a consequence of the idling traffic, pollution levels have risen, contributing to what is now deemed a toxic stew. Ironically, cyclists are especially harmed, and not just because the bike lanes they speed upon are adjacent to tailpipes. According to a study by the London School of Medicine, cyclists have 2.3 times more inhaled soot than walkers because “cyclists breathe more deeply and at a quicker rate than pedestrians while in closer proximity to exhaust fumes.”

Even without considering the toxic fumes, fatalities for cyclists per distance traveled are eight times as high as for people who drive.

The bike lane craze hits taxpayers hard. Paris is spending €150 million to become the “cycling capital of the world.” Melbourne is spending $100 million to become more cycling-friendly, Amsterdam €120 million.

Other economic costs are less direct:

[C]ycling lanes typically displace lanes that formerly accommodated street parking, especially outside rush-hour periods. Businesses that rely on street parking for their customers are often bitter at seeing their sales gutted. Cities not only lose revenue from street parking, they also lose revenue from public transit because — anecdotally, at least — people are switching to bikes more from public transit than from cars.

Everyone sacrifices on behalf of cyclists. In return:

Almost everywhere [cyclists are] seen as discourteous, and as threats to the safety of pedestrians.

But moonbats see bicycles as moonbatty. Therefore, social engineers will continue to redesign society around them.

Lots of people in Europe’s cities don’t even own cars – a bike is often a better way to get around since the city is already so densely populated. Putting in bike lanes everywhere looks nice on paper and encourages people to pedal if they have a “safe” space reserved for them. Less cars on the road, less traffic, win win!

Except it’s completely moronic to cut lanes out of vehicle traffic and prevent people from parking at businesses. Screw everyone else, we are doing what’s “best” for the populace because it makes us look good.

Bike lanes have their purpose on less congested roads with poor visibility – they are a great safety feature for cyclists and pedestrians alike in that case. However, they have ZERO place in already congested areas if there is no space for them. If traffic is slow, cyclists can follow the rules of the road and travel like they would if there is no bike lane – by following all the rules a car has to follow.

We have those ridiculous bike lanes here in my town of Des Moines, Iowa. Recently, the major roadways of Ingersoll and Grand avenue have been halved to make way for the idiot bicyclists that never, ever follow the rules of traffic and, as you stated, they can’t be used anyway for about half the year.

Charleston ,SC. Moonbats going to build a bridge over the Ashely River into downtown Charleston so a handful of bike riders feel safe. They blocked one lane of four as a test , you can guess how that went. Charleston has been run down by democrats for 40 yrs. and counting.Glad I left.

My favorite in California is the signs that show a cyclist and say “SHARE THE ROAD”. Cyclists can often be seen side by side 2 to 4 deep blocking those roads (instead of riding in a peloton, yes I ride). Sharing in California obviously doesn’t apply to cyclists…

Honestly I think adults should have to have a cycling license if they are going to be on public roads. They should be able to be ticketed and suspended if they are acting like fools and endangering others, just like reckless drivers.

They recently eliminated a traffic lane from a busy street and and added a bike lane in its place in Harrisburg. The street is adjacent to a riverfront park that has a good, safe bike path parallel to the road already. The bike lane in the street is totally unnecessary and like all street bike riding – inherently dangerous. In discussing it I manged to get some proponents to admit that the main reason they wanted it was to make car traffic worse thereby forcing people to ride bikes instead of driving. Why anyone other than a multi DUI convict would want to ride a bike to/from work in 95 degree heat or in the snow is beyond me. These people are crazy.

They are definitely not adding to the quality of life in NYC, just placating liberals, while making it hell for all drivers, including delivery drivers who are trying to do their job. Great job, NY! More congestion!!!

I know of someone who encountered two dickhead cyclists riding side by side on a busy two lane highway. He tapped his horn and one of them turned around and flipped him off. The driver pulled into the oncoming lane and, when he got abreast of them, he laned over and forced both of them into a water filled ditch. Some people have no sense of humor.

A woman living next door to my parents was hit while riding in a bike lane – created by taking a car lane away from a busy connector street, leaving only one.

Apparently the driver was looking at their cell phone or something and drifted into the bike lane.

She had a significant injury to her leg but apparently since she was at the top of the pedal stroke that saved her from a more serious injury that would have resulted in amputation, according to the doctors who treated her.

I think bike lanes are a wonderful idea. When the next unscheduled Islamic Holiday slams Manhattan, the liberal progressive casualties will be unbelievable. Think of all the killing zones impenetrable streets clogged with traffic and boxed in with bollards and bicycle lanes will create.

I have long ago reached my Doctor Strangelove realization and learned to stop worrying and learned to love our unscheduled Islamic holidays. Dead liberals are a good thing.

That’s my main gripe…these cyclists DON’T follow the same laws that cars do. They blow through stop signs, ride two or more abreast so cars can’t pass them, they never signal, and they LOVE to ride main streets, especially those which access public schools during heavily-trafficked morning and afternoon carpool times.

I swear to God, the only time I ever see these self-righteous Lance Armstrong wannabe’s near the elementary school is between 7:30-8:15 in the mornings, and 2:30-3:15 in the afternoons, Mondays thru Fridays. If you drive past the school around lunch or dinnertime, there’s not a cyclist in sight. It’s like they DELIBERATELY ride through the school zone in order to inconvenience the maximum number of parents, most of whom have already had a crappy day, are running late, and are dealing with cranky kids in the back seat.

I would LOVE to see someone drive by the bastards riding two abreast and lay on the horn, scaring the morons right into the ditch. (I’ve considered buying an air horn just for this purpose.)